I’d like to choke my 860!

My question is; what process do you use to choke when starting in cold weather? I was told I should have used full choke and cranked until it starts/tires to fire then go to about half choke, crank until it starts then keep it there until it warms up a bit. How do youall do this?

I’m in Southwest Michigan and we generally get into the single digits with an occasional foray into the subzero temperatures during the winter. Currently the tractor is sitting in a neighbor’s barn waiting for spring.

Thanks in advance for any advise you could give.

Dale

Here's what works on my 850:
Clutch down, key on, throttle about 1/2, one thumb on the starter and the other hand ready to pull the choke. Then I push the starter and pull the choke out full for just a moment then I let it go. My choke seems to be spring loaded and returns to open position when I let go. If it doesn't start immediately I pull the choke out again for just a moment and that usually does it. If not I shut the key off and wait a minute then try again.

After it starts I leave my foot on the clutch for a minute or two and then let it out very slowly or the engine will die. Also, my tractor wants to die until it warms up so I keep my hand on the choke. When it starts to stumble, I give it 1/2 choke for just a second and it usually recovers. I probably have some easily fixable problem that would cure the "dies when cold" symptom, but I don't know what it is yet.

My 960 broke the spring, then I had to use a clothes pin to keep it off! Did find a new spring eventually.

--->Paul

Foot on clutch, key on, neutral, choke full out, throttle 1/3rd, hit starter. On first rev, choke off, and she's running. NEVER try to give the ford choke till she's running.....she'll flood, and if it doesn't, it'll foul a plug at best.

If it doesn't stay running, repeat.

Anyhow, every tractor is a little different. I have run about 2 dozen gas machines here on the farm regularly, & each one has it's own personality. Even our 960 wide front & 960 narrow front were slightly different.

In general, open the throttle about 1/3-1/2, full choke, crank it over 1-2 revolutions, let go of choke while continuing to crank engine. after 2-3 revolutions, pull full choke again for 1, maybe 2 revolutions, let go of choke, continue starting 2-3 revolutions.

At some point in all of that it either started or puffed a bit. (If it did not, walk away from it for a couple of minutes. Starter & batt need a rest. Then try it with full choke for several revolutions - this will probably flood it, but some are very cold starters and need that.)

Where-ever it tried to puff a bit, that is the 'sweet spot' of your particular tractor and that is about what it will like most of the time in cold weather.

If you hold the choke too long, it will flood the engine. Three engine revolutions is often too long... Then you need to loosen & pull off the lower end of the air hose, let the gas drain out, waith 10 minutes, open the throttle to wide open and start it up.(With the air hose off, you can be more agressive chocking it than normal.) Remember to reattach the air hose, as you are drawing dirty air into your engine & this will harm it. Also, with a wide open throttle, your engine will race very fast with very cold oil - not a good thing. As soon as it fires up, back that throttle off REAL fast. If it does not want to fire, and you feel you have not overly flooded the machine, leave throttle open, leave choke closed, and shoot ether into the open carberator while cranking the engine over.

Now, my Ollie s77 needs FULL choke, but at the very FIRST hint of firing it needs the choke all the way in. after running 10 seconds it starts to die, so it needs 1/2 choke right away again. This will start that tractor at minus 5 degrees, no problem, time after time. for years in Minnesota winter. Any other proccedure, any fooling around with 1/2 choke or choking 2 seconds too long, and it will be a dead machine for hours. Not even puff.

My IHC 300 likes to puff & fire up with no choke at all, but imeadiately needs 90% choke to run for about a minute, then back off on the choke as it warms up.

You just will have to find that sweet spot of your particular tractor, and not give up so easy.

I go to lots of farm auctions, and it is real noticable - the auctioneers always want the owner to start up all the machines, as they know each particular starting personalities. Things never go very smoothly when a 'stranger' tries to start a tractor in the cold.

One last note - you will bust your battery leaving it sit like this in a barn over winter. You need a charger on it, top up that battery. It will freeze up & die discharged the way you left it.

--->Paul

Good luck and keep us posted.

Take Care
Steve

1. Warm weather: no choke, open throttle halfway. It usually starts right up.

2. Cold weather (below 40F): full choke, open throttle halfway. Open choke as soon as it fires; if it sputters, pull the choke out as needed to keep it running. If it quits, repeat (still using full choke).

As soon as the tractor is running smoothly, you shouldn't need to use any choke unless something is wrong.